Mark Rowley’s Met honeymoon is well and truly over

Over the coming days we will see the Metropolitan Police at its very best. As the world descends on London for the coronation of King Charles, the force will execute a plan that has been decades in the making. As the past year has shown, there are few tasks the Met excels at more than protecting the public and dignitaries when the capital hosts huge occasions of state. 

Meanwhile, the day-to-day policing of London goes on – and it is here that the Met’s difficulties start. It is now eight months since Sir Mark Rowley started his term of office as commissioner of the force. He has started to make progress on standards and conduct within it, unearthing more rotten apples along the way. However, as he well knows, neither that nor the successful policing of the coronation will be nearly enough. 

Despite the Met’s belated success in dealing with protestors ‘slow-walking’ on London’s roads and bridges, Westminster has over recent weeks experienced days of serious disruption from groups including Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion.